Designing for the Non-Designer – Part I The Basics

This post  is for those who get thrown into graphic design without any formal knowledge of what makes a good design, or, what causes unforgettable disasters. Once able to recognize the basics of designing principles you will be more in control of your work and marketing materials. This can range from printed articles to website design. This three-part series will help you understand basic design principles, tips and tricks,  typography, and how each can help you.

proximity shows how the text is related to the rest of the layout, contrast is the difference in text weights used, alignment is how all the text is left aligned at the same margin, and repetition is how the color is used throughout the layout.

The Four Basic Principles

As taken from Robin Williams’ The Non-Designer’s Design Book, there is an awkward yet memorable acronym to recall the basic design principles. The four principles are Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity, or C.R.A.P for short. Very rarely will only one of these principles be used, since all are really interconnected with one another.

Contrast

The point of contrast is to avoid putting multiple elements together that are considered similar. Contrast is one of the most effective ways to put visual interest into a page. The most important rule in order for contrast to be effective is that it must be strong. To add contrast, you can use your typeface choices, line thickness,  colors,  shapes,  sizes,  space, etc. By adding these elements into your piece, it draws your reader in and aids in the organization of information for the reader.  Some things you should avoid when using contrast are to stay away from the “too similar.”  Brown text against black visual elements is an example. Another example is using two similar typefaces.  Make each different and it will create a much more pleasing piece.

Repetition

When you repeat visual elements of a design throughout the whole piece, you create unity, which makes a stronger, more organized piece.  Elements such as a bold font,  thick line,  color,  formatting,  spacial relationship, etc.  are some things you can use to tie your piece together.  The visual element can be anything the reader will visually recognize. Another way of thinking about repetition is consistency.  When you keep all your headers the same size and use the same font,  you are implementing repetition.  One point to avoid with repetition is that you don’t want to be overwhelming and overbearing. “For instance,  if the woman is wearing a black evening dress with a red hat,  earrings, red lipstick,  a red handbag,  red shoes and a red coat – the repetition would not be a stunning and unifying contrast -  it would be overwhelming and the focus would be confused,” says Robin Williams.  The point is to make the piece look interesting.  Once you do so, the more likely it will be read.

Alignment

It has been stated that with alignment, nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item on the page should have a visual connection with something else on the page. With alignment,  even if certain elements are separated by space,  there’s an invisible line that connects them.  Just by using careful alignment,  you can create a sophisticated, serious,  funky,  or formal look.  So when laying out your work,  be conscious of where things are placed and aligned,  as  it can make a huge difference. When using alignment try not to use more than one alignment for text,  such as centered and right aligned,  in one layout.  Also, try to  break away from using the standard center aligned text unless  you want a formal and sedate feel.

Proximity

The idea behind proximity is the grouping of related elements together.  This is so that the items can be seen as one cohesive group. Organizing is the primary purpose of proximity.  Some points to consider when using proximity: avoid too many separate elements on a page, don’t put items in the corners or the middle of the page, avoid leaving equal amounts of white space between elements unless each element is part of a subset, don’t let a split second of confusion occur with the relationship to a headline, and finally, don’t create relationships with elements that don’t belong together!  Using this principle will give your readers a logical progression defining a beginning to a logical end.

Pulling it all together!

So when it comes down to making a newsletter or sending out a memo, take your time! Remember to use your C.R.A.P. principles. Everything should be placed where it is on a page for a reason. If you still need help,  please don’t hesitate to call NuRelm – 877-268-7356.

Preview of next article:

A brief review of our previous content combined with many tips and tricks to help with all of your design projects.